Chapter 1: The Man With the Red Hat

The light of the full moon in the night sky reflected brightly off of the armor of the castle guards.

They raced out of the castle gates on horseback, heading out into the surrounding woodlands. Their yelling and commotion awoke the young prince as he sat up in his bed. He quickly got up and walked over to his window, watching his father's knights pour out of the gates in droves. Though still quite young, only five years of age, the boy knew all too well that something very bad was happening.

He then quickly bolted out the door of his bedroom and raced down the winding stairs of his tower. Once on the lower level of the castle, he ran for his parent's room. However, once there, he noticed several armed guards standing in front of the doors. He attempted to make his way past them, but they held him back.

"No, little lord," One of them spoke in a soft, yet stern tone to him.

"Where are my mother and father?!" The frightened and confused boy cried.

"You must return to your room at once," The other guard told him, ignoring his question. This only made him more intent, however.

"WHERE ARE THEY?!" He screeched. "I WANT TO SEE THEM!" He attempted to fight his way through the guards, though of course to no avail as they continued to hold him back.

"Let him in," A man's voice was suddenly heard speaking on the other side of the door.

"But, your majesty..." One of the guards tried to reason with him.

"I said...let him in."

The guards sighed and let the young prince go. One of them reached for the handle, hesitating for a moment before opening it. The prince stepped inside as they closed the door behind him. It was then that he noticed his father kneeling down by the window straight ahead.

"Father?" The boy spoke. The king turned to look at him with an expression full of both sorrow and anger.

"I'm so sorry, my son," He said softly. The boy then looked around, making the realization.

"Wh-where's mother?" He asked in a shaky voice. The king looked down, struggling to find the words to say.

"She..." He began, hesitating for a long moment before continuing. "She's gone away."

The prince's eyes widened at this before his eyes flickered downward, seeing something on the ground just to the left of where his father stood. It was a pair of feet, peeking out from the side of his parent's bed. Though who the feet belonged to was obscured by the bed being in the way, deep down the boy knew who they belonged to.

He went to walk over to the other side of the bed. His father stepped forward, as if to stop him, though with not that much effort. It was as though his father was debating whether or not he wanted his son to see what was there. At that moment, however, it was too late for any further debating. For where the young prince was now standing, the body was now in full view.

It was his own mother, dead and bleeding onto the wooden floor beneath her. Her body had been ravaged by what appeared to be some sort of animal. She had been so gruesomely attacked that she was nearly unrecognizable, but still the young prince knew. It was his mother.

He suddenly felt his father's arms surround him as he let out a scream of horror. His father picked him up, cradling his young son as he wailed loudly at the sight of his mother's savaged body. It was something no child should ever have to see, but he had.

"Shhh," The boy's father tried to soothe his son's cries, though he was struggling to hold back his own. "It will be alright, my boy. Father's men are out there now, and they are going to find the monster that did this."

"M-monster?!" The prince spoke between sobs.

"Yes," His father told him. "A monster did this. But fear not. Father's men are going to hunt down the monster and kill it. And all others like it. Mark my words, father is going to make it his life's work to ensure those beasts never harm anyone ever again."

Just then, a howl was heard outside in the distance, causing the king to hold his only son even tighter. He began stroking the boy's dark hair as he comforted him

"They will all die. Father will make sure of it. I promise you...Henry."

As the purple smoke that had engulfed the entire town finally disappeared, Hayley opened her eyes and looked around in pure confusion.

"What's going on?" Henry asked as he stood next to her, looking just as perplexed.

"I don't know, little dude," Hayley replied. "Come on, let's go."

They continued on into the town square, seeing numerous residents of Storybrooke embracing and talking amongst each other as they all finally had their lost memories back. Though it was several people in particular, Mary Margaret and David, that Hayley had her eyes on. She inhaled nervously as she approached them, unsure of what to say.

However, all eyes were quickly on her, that of which Mary Margaret and David seemed to notice as they too turned around. Mary Margaret soon approached, looking at Hayley intently. She also didn't seem to know what to say, simply reaching out to touch Hayley's face with both hands as her eyes became filled with tears. Suddenly, she went in and embraced her daughter, crying in pure joy.

"My Hayley," Mary Margaret said to her, crying. "You found us."

David then reached over to touch Hayley's hair before going in to embrace her as well.

However, Hayley stood perfectly still.

It wasn't that she was upset or anything. She had been dreaming of meeting her birth parents all her life. Just...not like that. She would've never guessed that her parents were freakin' Snow White and Prince Charming, and that thanks to them being frozen in time they were all the same age. And she was the savior...and she was technically a princess. It was all just too much to mentally process in that moment.

"She did it," Henry said, smiling up at his family. "She saved you."

"Yes," Mary Margaret - Snow White - said as she pulled away, still smiling at her daughter. "She saved all of us."

"Then why the hell are we still here?" Leroy asked, interrupting the family reunion.

"That's a good question," David - Prince James - replied.

"It's gotta have something to do with that smoke," Doc interjected.

"What was that anyway?" Hayley inquired. "Does anyone know?"

"Magic," A voice suddenly spoke up. Everyone turned to see Mother Superior - the Blue Fairy.

"How do you know this?" Snow asked her.

"I can feel it," The Blue Fairy explained. "It's here now."

"Who brought it here?" Hayley asked her.

"The Queen," James replied, making the realization. "It only makes sense. Her curse breaks, so she brings magic back to protect herself."

"That, or..." Hayley began, deep in thought. "Gold."

As they all continued down the street, everyone continued talking and catching up with their memories all restored. James and Peter - or Will rather - were especially deep in conversation as two long-lost brothers. Henry, meanwhile, was busy talking to Snow and James about being their "grandson", which they all laughed about. Everyone was overjoyed...everyone except Hayley.

She continued to remain silent as they all walked on, still not sure how to mentally process anything. She knew she should've felt happy in that moment to now have her family back and all together again, but for some reason she just felt...numb. Numb to everything that was happening.

Snow eventually took notice of this, and looked at her daughter with concern.

"Hey. Are you okay?"

Hayley looked up at her mother before shrugging.

"Uh, yeah," Hayley said. "I-I guess..."

"I know," Snow replied, nodding. "It's a lot."

"That's an understatement," Hayley said under her breath, though Snow still very well heard this.

"Well," She began. "Is there anything you want to ask me or your dad? I mean, you must have questions I'm sure."

"I mean..." Hayley began. "Right now, my only questions are for Gold and Regina. I wanna find out what's going on here, because...something's up."

"I know," Snow replied. "But...what about us? Your life? Everything else?"

"I just..." Hayley sighed heavily, stopping as she rubbed the bridge of her nose with both hands. "I don't know, okay? I don't know how to be right now."

James, Henry, and Snow all stopped as well, turning to look at Hayley in concern.

"Okay, look..." James began. "Snow, I know we've been awaiting this moment for a long time, without even knowing it. But, we shouldn't push it. She needs time."

"I know," Snow agreed. "I just...I-I'm sorry. You're right. We'll talk about it when she's ready."

After giving their daughter a sympathetic look, they both turned and continued onward. Henry watched them before turning to look up at his mom in confusion. Hayley shook her head and looked away before Henry turned and began walking off with the others.

Hayley stood there for a long moment. She knew she was letting her parents down, and that it was only fair that they have a discussion about everything. But she just wasn't ready. In fact, she didn't know if she was going to be ready for a long time. It was just too fucking much.

She sighed and turned to look across the street...and that's when she saw him.

It was a man, an older man with a short but large build. He looked almost homeless, his clothes old and raggedy all besides one particular item - a bright red hat that sat atop his head. She noticed he was staring at her, and became wide-eyed when her eyes met his. It was almost as if he...recognized her. But she knew damn well that she had never seen him before.

After a long and uncomfortable moment, the man then suddenly turned and walked away. Though as he did, Hayley noticed him look back at her once or twice. What the fuck? She thought to herself. Once he was out of view, she stood there for another moment in confusion before continuing on to catch up with the others.

Just then, Archie came running up to them. He approached James and Snow, looking frantic.

"There you are!" He exclaimed. "Please, we need your help! Dr. Whale has whipped everyone into a frenzy! They're headed to Regina's house now, and-and they're saying they're going to kill her!"

"Good," Leroy, of course, replied. "Let's go watch."

"Oh, come on," Hayley interjected. "I know she did what she did, but killing her would be wrong."

"You of all people think killing her is wrong?" Leroy retorted. "You? The long-lost daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming, think killing the woman who stole your life from you is wrong?"

"I..." Hayley began, deep in thought. "I mean..."

"No," James cut her off, stepping in front of her in defiance. "Hayley's right. Despite everything, killing Regina would be wrong. Not only that, but it wouldn't change anything. What's done is done."

"That may be, brother," Will spoke up. "But she still needs to pay for what she's done to us."

Out the corner of her eye, Hayley couldn't help but notice Ruby wince and look away.

"Wait!" Henry interjected suddenly, making everyone turn to look down at him. "She's still my mom! Please...don't let them hurt her!"

Hayley looked down at her son, and he returned her gaze with pleading eyes. She sighed and turned to Snow.

"Let's go stop Whale and the others," She said.

"Hold on," James replied, looking on to speak to the crowd once more. "If the Blue Fairy is correct and magic is indeed here, that means Regina could have her powers back. We've all seen her powers before and what she's capable of. Once we arrive at her home, we must use caution."

Everyone agreed before continuing onward. On the way to Regina's house, everyone soon became deep in conversation once again. Will turned back to look at Ruby/Red several times, who quickly looked away from him, almost fearful. This caused Will to turn back away from her with a deep look of guilt upon his face. Hayley, who was walking behind him and beside Ruby, took notice of this.

"She hates me," She heard Will quietly say to James, who was walking beside him. James turned to look at Red as well briefly before turning back to continue quietly talking to his brother. Hayley looked to Red, who was looking down.

"Are you okay?" Hayley asked her in concern. Red turned to look at her before turning to look back down at the ground.

"Will and I..." She began. "We have a little bit of a history."

Hayley couldn't help but smirk at this, having witnessed herself several times the chemistry "Peter" and "Ruby" shared.

"That doesn't surprise me," Hayley replied, continuing to smirk. Red blushed briefly, but her face quickly returned to it's previously troubled expression.

"It wasn't quite like that," Red confessed, as she stopped walking. Hayley stopped as well, watching Red turn to look up at Will once again. He must have somehow sensed her eyes upon him as he too turned to look back at her. However, the two quickly looked away from one another once their eyes met.

"What happened between the two of you?" Hayley asked her friend, now growing more and more concerned. Red turned to look at her with now glassy eyes.

"I'll tell you about it later," She told Hayley quietly before going to walk on with the others. Hayley watched her briefly before going back to follow the crowd herself.

It didn't take too much longer for them all to reach Regina's house. However, they were too late as the angry mob Whale had gathered had beat them there. Whale went to grab Regina by the throat just as Hayley and her parents intervened. After some discussion, they all decided that the best course of action was to lock the "Evil Queen" up for the time being.

Hayley, Snow, and James watched as Will took the liberty of locking Regina in a cell.

"Ironic, isn't it?" Regina laughed at Will. "YOU of all people locking me away."

"Shut up," Will replied, taking out the key and pushing the door to ensure it was locked.

"Now," James began, approaching Regina's cell. "When Hayley broke the curse, why didn't we all get sent back?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Regina told him, smiling. "There's nothing to go back to. That land is gone."

"You're sure about this?" Snow inquired. Regina gave her a cold look.

"Do I look 'unsure'?" She snapped back.

"What about that smoke?" Hayley interjected, stepping forward as she looked Regina dead in the eyes. "Mother Superior said it brought magic to Storybrooke. Was that your doing or Gold's?"

Regina didn't reply. She simply looked to the side and refused to answer. James sighed in response.

"Alright," He spoke up. "Let's go find Gold and see what he knows."

Hayley and her parents then stormed out of the Sheriff's office, leaving Will there to keep an eye on Regina. They stormed down the street in the direction of Mr. Gold's pawn shop, intent on getting answers. However, on their way down the street, Hayley saw a familiar face.

It was the man from before...with the bright red hat.

This time, he was peering at her from the side of a building ahead of them. But the second Hayley caught sight of him, he immediately slunk back and out of view.

"Hey!" Hayley exclaimed, rushing over to the building. Her parents followed behind her. Once there, however, the man had already vanished, much to Hayley's chagrin.

"What's wrong?" James asked his daughter.

"Didn't you guys see him?" Hayley inquired.

"Who?" Snow replied.

"That guy!" Hayley exclaimed, looking around for him, but to no avail.

"What guy, Hayley?" Snow asked her. Hayley paused for a moment, but then sighed when she realized there was no point in explaining now that the man was gone.

"Nevermind," She replied, turning back around to head back out to the sidewalk. "Let's just keep going."

Hayley led the rest of the way to Gold's pawn shop, with her parents following close behind. They tried to remain out of earshot, however, as they spoke quietly about their concern for their daughter. After a few more minutes, they finally reached the pawn shop, with Hayley continuing to lead the way through the door. She approached Mr. Gold, giving him a deadly stare.

"Miss Norwood," Mr. Gold greeted her, as if absolutely nothing was wrong. "What may I do for you?"

"What the hell is your deal, Gold?" Hayley gritted her teeth as she spoke.

"I'm sorry," Mr. Gold replied with a conniving grin. "You're going to have to be more specific."

"Oh, cut the shit!" Hayley snapped at him. "You took that vial from me, you risked my son's life, you did...God knows what with that purple mist!"

"That is quite the list of grievances, isn't it?"

"You owe me, Gold. You owe me an explanation. So let's hear it. Now!"

Mr. Gold's smile then faded before he walked up from behind the counter.

"Oh I owe you, do I, Miss Norwood?" Mr. Gold asked her in a poisonous tone. "Let me ask you a few questions. Did your son, your dear Henry, survive the whole ordeal?"

"What?" Hayley asked, exasperated.

"AND..." Mr. Gold began again, raising his voice a bit in anger. "Is the curse broken? It would seem that it is. You are now reunited with your long lost parents, thanks to me. So, after all I've done for you my dear girl, I now believe you are the one who owes me a thing or two. One of them being a goddamn...thank...you!"

Hayley sighed at this, knowing that despite everything, he was right.

"I..." She began. "I...I know, Mr. Gold. I know you've done a lot for me, and I'm extremely grateful. I am. But...I've also come to see the kind of guy you are. You don't do things for other people to be nice or because you have a good heart. No, you do things for other people so you can get something out of them in return. Right? So, what is it you want from me? To break the curse? To kill Regina? Tell me, Gold. Tell me why you really did all of those things for me."

A long silence ensued as Hayley stared daggers at the man who did all of those kind "favors" for her when she had first come to Storybrooke. She knew, even then, he did it all to get something out of her. If it was just breaking the curse, that would mean he was done with her. Hell, he had the chance to kill her after tricking her into handing him over that vial. But...he didn't.

Mr. Gold looked to the side, his throat tightening before he spoke.

"You really want to know what that haze was?" He replied, turning to look back at Hayley as he stepped closer to her. "It was magic, my dear girl."

"For what?" Hayley pressed. "Why did you bring magic here?"

"I'm afraid I can't reveal that information," Mr. Gold replied with yet another conniving smirk.

"Whatever," Hayley said, shaking her head. "Keep your secrets. We'll find you out soon enough."

She then turned and walked past her parents, right out the door. They looked back at Gold before walking out after her.

However, once they were all out of earshot, Mr. Gold quietly responded to Hayley's jab.

"That you will...Hayley."

After leaving the pawn shop, Hayley headed over to Granny's with Snow and James to check on Henry, who Hayley had left in Ruby's care. He appeared to be doing okay, so Hayley decided to have him stay with Ruby for the rest of the day while she and her parents did some more digging.

Snow and James sat at a table while Hayley spoke with Ruby. It was then that they quickly began contemplating if they should try once more to talk to their daughter about everything.

"We really shouldn't push it, Snow," James told his wife.

"I know," Snow replied. "I'm not trying to, I'm really not. It's just...she needs to open up to us sooner or later, right?"

Hayley then wrapped up her conversation with Ruby and approached the table her parents were sitting at.

"Hey," She told them. "Ruby said she'll watch Henry for the rest of the day while the three of us figure things out."

"That's nice of her," Snow replied.

"Yup," Hayley said, nodding.

A long pause followed, before Snow just couldn't help herself.

"How are you feeling Hayley?"

"What?" Hayley replied.

"Snow..." James began, burying his face with his hands.

"I know, I know..." Snow said. "But...I just can't go on like this. You're our daughter, Hayley. And we want to talk to you."

Hayley sighed heavily, folding her arms before finally speaking.

"Fine. What do you want to talk about?"

"Okay!" Snow smiled happily. "Well, first I just want to kind of get inside your head a little bit. I want to know how you're feeling."

"Same as I've been feeling all day," Hayley replied. "Just...unsure about everything, you know? I'm sorry, I know I should be feeling as happy as you guys are but, I just...don't."

"You're not happy?" James inquired.

"I mean," Hayley began. "It's not that I'm not happy, it's just that...again, I don't know how to be right now. No matter the circumstances, for 26 years all I knew was that my parents tossed me away."

"Oh, no..." Snow insisted. "No, no, no, Hayley! We did not toss you away. We had to send you away, to protect you!"

"To protect everyone," Hayley corrected. "Right? Because that's what you guys are. Leaders, heroes, kings, queens, all that bullshit. And you know what? That's great, that's amazing...for you. But I've kind of been alone all my life. I've had to fend for myself."

"I'm sorry, Hayley," Snow told her, looking sad. "I'm so sorry for all you've been through. But if we hadn't sent you away, you would have been cursed right along with us. And that wasn't how it was meant to be."

"Because why?" Hayley asked her. "Because I'm the savior?"

"That's exactly why," James told her. "This was your destiny, sweetheart."

"Please, don't say shit like that," Hayley snapped back. "Screw all that destiny BS, because if we were cursed, at least we would've all been together. Right?"

"Not necessarily," Snow told her. "He and I were separated all this time. Who knows what would have become of you, too. And it was your destiny, Hayley."

"It wasn't my destiny," Hayley replied. "I'm not *destined* for anything. No one is *destined* for anything because destiny does not exist."

"You can't really believe that, Hayley," James told her. "Not after all you've been through..."

"Exactly," Hayley snapped back, cutting him off. "Not after all I've been through."

She then gave them both an angry look before turning on her heel and walking out the door. She really didn't mean to be such a bitch, but she couldn't help it. No matter how they tried to twist it, they did toss her away. And they didn't seem to see anything wrong with it!

Hayley then walked down the steps and went to walk off from the diner, but something then caught her eye. She turned to see what it was, and her throat immediately tightened.

There he was. The same man from earlier.

He was sitting at one of the outside tables with his back to her, but once again his bright red hat was a dead giveaway. She sighed heavily before going to approach him. Once there, she quickly went to sit in the chair across from him. He immediately looked both shocked and somewhat frightened at her, which only further had her questioning what the hell his deal was.

But she was going to find out.

"Hi," She greeted him, smiling politely.

"Hello..." The man replied, a slight shake present in his voice.

"Alright," Hayley began. "Let's cut the shit and let's cut the shit now. This is the second, maybe third time I'm seeing you today?"

The man didn't reply. All he did was continue to glare at her with the same wide-eyed expression.

"Why are you following me?" Hayley asked him impatiently.

At first, the man continued to remain silent. But after a moment, he finally replied.

"You're Hayley," The man asked her. "Right?"

Hayley's brows immediately furrowed in pure confusion.

"Yeah," She responded. "Who the hell are you?"

"You..." The man began, sounding highly confused. "You don't recognize me?"

Hayley glared at him. What the hell was he on about? She truly had no idea who this man was, or how the hell he knew her. Why would he ask such a thing?

"What?" Hayley asked him, sounding highly exasperated. "How could I recognize you? I don't even know you!"

The man once again went silent, looking downward as he seemed deep in thought. Hayley leaned her head down slightly, attempting to look him in the eyes.

"Do I?" She asked him. He looked back up at her in worry, almost as if he was afraid she would recognize him. But again, she had no idea who he was or what his deal was. Still, however, she wanted more answers out of him.

But those answers wouldn't be coming any time soon, as the man suddenly stood up and practically sprinted away.

"Wha...hey!" Hayley exclaimed as she stood up as well, calling after him. "Hey!"

He then turned the corner and disappeared once more from her view. She looked on in complete awe and confusion. What the fuck just happened? She thought to herself. Of all of the weird shit to happen to her thus far, which there certainly had been a lot, that had to be one of the weirdest. She truly couldn't wrap her head around it, no matter how hard she tried.

Suddenly, however, her racing thoughts were interrupted by her phone ringing in her pocket. She took it out and saw that it was Peter/Will calling. She sighed before picking up.

"Hello?" She asked.

"Hayley, it's me," Will said, sounding frantic. "Y-you and your parents need to get back to the station. Now!"

Hayley and her parents entered the Sheriff's office after Will's frantic phone call, seeing him sitting on one of the chairs and holding his head. And not only that, but Regina's cell was wide open...with no sign of her.

"Brother!" James exclaimed, rushing over to Will. "What happened? Are you hurt?"

"She escaped..." Will began. "Regina, she escaped."

"How?!" Snow exclaimed.

Just then, Hayley's eyes were drawn to the cell door, which had a very familiar looking key sticking out of it. It was a skeleton key, Regina's skeleton key. Shit...Hayley thought as she reached over to take it out.

"Damn it," Hayley cursed quietly.

"Oh my God," Snow said once she laid eyes on the key. "I totally forgot that was still there."

"Me too," Hayley told her before turning to Will. "What did she do to you?"

"Well," Will began. "I didn't see anything, but I woke up here about five minutes ago with a throbbing pain in my head so...deductive reasoning most likely points to the bitch knocking me out."

"Do we have any idea where she might've gone?" James asked.

Hayley stopped to think for a moment, at first having no idea where the "Evil Queen" would have escaped to. But then, she quickly remembered Regina's secret mausoleum.

"I think I might have an idea," Hayley told them.

Hayley and her parents then headed to the graveyard, with Hayley leading the way to the mausoleum. It was the one place Regina would have escaped to, and she knew it. But with magic back, she knew they had to be careful, as Regina could have damn well found a way to wield it by that point.

They walked up the steps of the mausoleum and opened the door, realizing that it was unlocked. That wasn't a good sign. Despite this, however, they continued on down the stairs with Hayley continuing to lead the way. Once there, Hayley spoke up.

"Regina? You down here?"

Once on the lower level, that's when they saw her. Regina was, in fact, there. But she wasn't casting spells or doing anything particularly sinister. Instead, she was holding an item in her hands that was all too familiar to Hayley.

"That's Jefferson's hat..." Hayley said, looking from it back up to Regina. "You had it this whole time?

"You shouldn't be down here, Miss Norwood," Regina told her sternly.

"What are you up to?" James growled at Regina, but Snow held him back.

"I know about that hat," Hayley began again. "It's supposed to act as a portal..."

Hayley's eyes widened when she realized what exactly Regina was doing. She looked up at her in anger, while Regina quickly looked down in guilt.

"You going somewhere?" Hayley asked her.

"I told you, Miss Norwood," Regina began. "You shouldn't be down here. None of you should."

"You were gonna leave," Hayley replied, though it wasn't a question. Regina looked back down and sighed in response.

"Yes," She confessed. Hayley shook her head in complete disbelief.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Hayley exclaimed in anger. "You were just gonna split and leave everything behind? This place? Henry?!"

"It's my choice!" Regina exclaimed right back at her.

"You conniving, self-serving bitch!" Hayley shouted. "How could you even think of doing that?!"

"He doesn't deserve me!" Regina finally broke down. "No. I have no place here anymore."

"He might not deserve you," Hayley told her. "But he does still love you, Regina. Believe it or not, he does. We went to stop Whale and the others from killing you because Henry didn't want you to get hurt. You can't do this, you can't leave him. Please, Regina. Don't do this."

Regina looked up at Hayley, looking at her for a long moment. Her expression was one Hayley couldn't quite decipher, but it did appear she was actually considering Hayley's heartfelt words. Hayley looked relieved, figuring she may have actually gotten through to the woman for once.

But it was all for naught, as Regina suddenly went to spin the hat and toss it onto the ground. It proceeded to expand greatly in size as a large portal appeared in it's place. Hayley glared at Regina with wide eyes.

"I'm sorry," Regina told the others as a single tear streamed down her face. "Tell Henry I love him."

Just as she went to leap down into the portal, Hayley began to scream at her.

"NOOOO!"

Hayley's fight or flight response quickly kicked in as she leaped all the way across the large portal and tackled Regina to the ground, effectively stopping her. However, it soon became apparent that where she landed was just mere inches closer to the portal than where Regina had been standing. As a result, it began to quickly suck Hayley in.

"Hayley!" Snow cried.

"Regina, grab her!" James screamed. Regina quickly went to do so and reached out to Hayley, who began to reach for Regina's hand.

But it was too late.

Hayley then fell through the vast threshold, causing the gateway to close above her as everything went black.